A Woman of Valor is a Woman Who Mans Her Post

 In this debut episode of The Keeping the Citadel Podcast, Heather shares the mission behind the podcast and the call for women to faithfully “man their posts.” Drawing from Éowyn’s story in The Lord of the Rings, and real life examples of women from history, she highlights how ordinary faithfulness in the home shapes families, nations, and the Kingdom of God. Learn what it means to be a woman of true strength — and to keep the flame of your citadel burning brightly. 

Transcript

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Wanted. Women of courage. Women of valor and strength who will man their posts and not shirk their duty. Women who are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Women who have both the imagination and grit to create beauty out of brokenness, feasts out of scraps, and keep candles burning through cold, dark nights. We need women of fortitude and feminine glory, who laugh at the days to come, who treat trials as opportunities, and respond to seasons of suffering with pots of hot soup. We need women who are willing and unafraid to lay down their lives for the great honor and privilege of serving their people. This call is for you. This is a call for women against shallow Christianity, easy button living, and feminist lies. We are seeking to embolden a new generation of women to live a better story. A better story how? By encouraging women of all ages and stages to embrace their high and holy calling, of radiant beauty makers, heart shapers, and soul nurturers. We aim to encourage women to wage war against the darkness of culture by transforming their homes and lives into shining citadels for the glory of Christ and the spread of his kingdom. This world has plenty of vain, weak-willed women, content to live lives of comfort and ease, who embarrassingly bring shame to the glory of their king by abandoning their posts and chasing after lives of selfish gain. Let's not be one of nine. Let's be women of courage. So, ladies, join me today. Embrace your high calling, live a better story, and keep the flame of your Citadel burning brightly. Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of the Keeping the Citadel Podcast. My name is Heather Fria, and I am your host. Here in this introductory podcast, you will hear a little bit about who I am, the vision for this podcast, and what this first season will look like. This podcast is born out of a simple conviction that the world is suffering from the crisis of lacking true women of valor. And it is time that we rise up to be those women. Proverbs 31:10 says, Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The literal Hebrew translation of the phrase virtuous woman is woman of valor. To have valor means to have heroic courage, strength, and resilience. This passage in Proverbs 31 goes on to describe this woman of valor as someone with capability and wisdom, a woman of true virtue and integrity, a woman who laughs without fear of the future. But the question remains: who can find a woman of valor? We live in a world that trains up girls to pursue selfish ambition and calls it raising strong women. The role models we are given to look up to include the wonderful examples of women like Taylor Swift, who parades herself around half naked while promoting a lifestyle of hopping from guy to guy, resisting marriage and children. Or women like Emma Watson, who champions abortion, aka child sacrifice, all in the name of women's rights. Even the average wholesome Hallmark movie gives us a model of a lonely middle-aged woman who is only willing to embrace marriage and children because she has already supposedly conquered the corporate world and proved herself to be a strong, independent woman. True women of valor, like the women in Proverbs, are indeed rare and hard to find. Rebecca Van Dudward in her book Reformation Women says real femininity is strength, a strength that is tough and ladylike. So we see from this quote that the problem here is not strong women. We should raise strong daughters. The problem that we are facing is that the world has gotten their definition of feminine strength wrong. So if real femininity is strength, but the examples we are being given of strong women are all wrong, then what does it look like to be a strong woman? How can we be women of valor? What kind of lives should we endeavor to embrace as godly biblical women? Here at the Keeping the Citadel podcast, our aim is to help you understand how to live as a woman of valor, how to embrace true godly femininity, and how to live a life that is reflective of a truly worthy woman. So before we dive in, I want to give you guys just a little glimpse of the plan for season one. The plan for this first season of the podcast is to answer the question of what it means to faithfully man your post. This theme ties into our current quarterly magazine issue, which shares the same title, Man Your Post. Each season of the podcast will tie in with these quarterly magazine themes so that as a community, we are really able to dive deep into these topics together. Speaking of which, if you aren't yet a subscriber to the Keeping the Citadel magazine, I highly encourage you to sign up now. Right now, when you subscribe, you will be on the list to get the winner issue, but you will automatically get a free digital version of the fall manual post issue where you can follow along with the topics that we will be covering here on the podcast. So, back to the plan for the podcast seasons. Each issue of the magazine is divided up into six sections, which focus on the spiritual life, marriage, motherhood, homemaking, educating and discipleship, and fruitfulness that overflows from the home and into the city. These six sections will be the building blocks of each season of the podcast. So each season of the podcast will include six episodes that reflect those sections of the magazine and tie into the current issues theme. So everything's really going to tie together. Today and this first episode, we are covering that theme of manure post. And next episode, we will be diving into what that looks like in the context of marriage. So just to be clear, these episodes will include new content that are meant to complement the magazine, not replace it. And you can certainly listen to them without having to be a magazine subscriber. But if you're like me and you really love a full immersive experience, I recommend consuming both together. Before we dive into this deeper, I want to first start by giving a little personal introduction. As I said before, my name is Heather, and I am a wife and mom. I've been married to my husband, Daniel, for over 14 years now. We have two amazing, hilarious, zealous boys who I homeschool full-time. They're uh 12 and 10 years old right now. So we are just kind of on that brink of those teen years. My husband and I have both had this passion for biblical gender roles our entire marriage. But I would say my passion really began when I was about 16 and began studying the feminist movement. From there, this passion really grew as I entered into adulthood and realized the severe lack of teaching that there was regarding this topic in the church and just how significantly affected the fruitfulness of daily Christian living. Another deep passion that I've always had is the significance of stories and the vital need that we have to live as great characters in the stories that we are given. So between these two passions of my heart, it was clear to me that women are not being taught how to live great stories with their lives. Most women that I see are just reacting to the world around them, reflecting the various cultural messages that they've been conditioned to embrace and aimlessly being carried along by the winds of culture instead of actively and intentionally seeking to live purposeful, worthy lives for Christ. So this has put a burden on my heart to open the eyes of women to see that there is a better way before us. I recently started the Keeping the Citadel magazine because I just don't think that women are being given examples and a clear vision of what the alternative is to the feminist model that is pushed on all of us. In order to fight against something, we have to know what we are fighting for. It's one thing to say you are against feminism and its fruits, but what is the alternative? What are we offering to women as a better, more beautiful picture to pursue instead? So between the magazine and this podcast, my goal is to provide that more beautiful picture. Through real life stories and examples of women, my prayer is that you will see that being a truly feminine, godly, biblical woman doesn't mean being weak or boring or frumpy or stupid, but it instead is something truly glorious. Okay, so I'm sure by now there's probably at least a few of you who are like, okay, but what is up with this whole citadel thing? I get it. It's kind of a weird name for a ministry to women. Okay, so here is a definition. A citadel is a strong castle in or near a city where people can shelter from danger, especially during a war. I'm gonna say that one more time. A citadel is a strong castle in or near a city where people can shelter from danger, especially during a war. So here's what I want you to think about. You are at war right now, and your home is a citadel in the midst of the battlefield. A woman's home, as well as her heart and very nature, is a citadel to those around her. In the home, a godly woman has the ability to nurture and care for both bodies and souls. Her words of encouragement can fortify her family and friends' hearts in a way that no other healing bomb can do. The haven she creates can both shelter from the storms of life and provide a place of joyful celebration and times of victory. Her strength is a well from which her people draw, soaking up courage to go forth again in pursuit of their mission. She embodies the cause for which her people fight. She girds them with wisdom, fills them with hope, and then sends them out like arrows into the fray. Her battle is the battle to see goodness, beauty, and truth and fleshed. With every candle lit, every loaf of bread baked, and every oui kissed, she pushes back the darkness. A godly home is truly a beacon of light shining into a dark world, giving hope and meaning. Without a strong shining citadel, an army will fall. And without a godly woman in the home, a family will fall. So when we say that we want to embolden you to transform your home and life into a shining citadel, this is what we are talking about. The name Keeping the Citadel was inspired by a character named Eowyn from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. For those of you who don't know, Eowyn is one of the few female characters in the trilogy. So because we are discussing what a woman of valor is and is not, I want to take a few minutes to share a bit of her story because I believe that it gives us such a great example of the tension that so many of us women wrestle with when it comes to this topic. If you're not a fan of Lord of the Rings, just please bear with me for a few minutes. I promise you will see how all of this is relevant to you. Okay, so those of you who are familiar with the character of Eowyn might be wondering why on earth she was the inspiration for the title of this magazine and where I'm going with this. The reason for that is the Eowyn we see in the theatrical version of the Lord of the Rings is a classic portrayal of a victorious feminist overcoming the male oppression that has fought to keep her true identity of a she warrior hidden and rendered useless. The climax of her character is reached when she triumphs in battle, finally getting the glory and recognition she had so long been seeking for a magazine and podcast that is dedicated to countering feminism. This might seem like a bit of an odd source of inspiration. But what most people don't know is that Eowyn's story has a much different trajectory in the books than it does in the film. Let me explain. While Eowyn in the books does frequently give us examples of the kind of woman we don't want to be, the full circle of her story is one of redemption and a restoration of true femininity. It is in her story that we see a glimpse of both the glory of our calling and the peace that comes when we fully embrace it. When we meet her, she's a noblewoman in a kingdom falling apart, asked by her uncle King Theodin to lead the women and children to safety and keep the citadel while the men go to war. This highly important role was crucial to the preservation of the people of Rohan. And Theodon chose Eowen because of his extreme trust in her ability to do it. Theodon wasn't merely sending her off to hide with the women and children while he went off to the glories of battle. He was giving her the highest honor of representing and keeping his house while he was away. It's here you might start to see the parallels with the woman in Proverbs 31 that I mentioned earlier. In Proverbs, we see a woman who is given much responsibility because her husband has full confidence in her. She industriously devotes herself to the care of his household and extends her hand to the poor and needy. She fearlessly laughs at the days to come because she knows that her people are cared for. Because of this, not only does her husband safely trust in her and is himself greatly known among the people, but she also is praised in the city gates for her deeds. Unlike the Proverbs 31 woman, however, Eowyn did not delight in her duty. Instead of seeing it as the high honor it was, Eowyn took this responsibility as a bitter pill to swallow and felt that she would be better suited for battle instead. It wasn't enough that she had the love of her people and the trust of her king. She wanted the glory and the renown that came from battle. She expresses her bitterness to Aragorn after he refuses to let her accompany him to the paths of the dead. Despite her pleading, Aragorn insists that her place is at home. Her duty is to care for her people, not die for them. She responds indignantly, and here's what she says. Too often have I heard of duty, she cried. But am I not of the house of Errol, a shield maiden and not a dry nurse? I have waited on faltering feet long enough. May I not now spend my life as I will? Few may do so with honor, he answered, but as for you, lady, did you not accept the charge to govern the people until their lord's return? If you had not been chosen, then some marshal or captain would have been set in the same place, and he could not ride away from his charge, were he weary of it or no. Shall I always be chosen? she said bitterly, shall I always be left behind when the riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return? A time may come soon, said he, when none will return. Then there will be need of valor without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in this last defense of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised. And she answered, All your words are but to say, You are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honor, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the house of Errol and not a serving woman. I can ride and wield a blade, and I do not fear either pain or death. What do you fear, lady? he asked. A cage, she said, to stay behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire. Okay, so before we continue with her story, let's break this conversation down. This is exactly the kind of conversation that pulls at the heartstrings of women everywhere. I mean, all this poor woman wants to do is lay down her life for her people, right? Like, how bad could that be? Why is Aricorn being so chauvinistic? Shouldn't she be allowed to do what she wants just like all the men? This, however, is exactly the kind of emotional manipulation that breeds feminists. We see the same rationale that Aowin uses in every Hollywood movie, every major Netflix drama, etc. It successfully reaches the heartstrings of women because on some level, just about every woman has either felt this way or been taught to feel this way. If we are to think biblically, however, we must learn to recognize this messaging when we see it and be able to discern right from wrong thinking. So here's what we see in this very loaded conversation. From the start, Eowyn scorns duty. This is very revealing about the motivations of her heart. Someone who was truly concerned with caring for her people and serving her country would not be scorning her duty. Everyone knows that there is a nobility to carrying out one's duty, to manning your post. And yet, Eowyn shows nothing but resentment for hers. Second, she first appeals to her station as the defense for why she should be allowed to fight. Eowyn puts her real motivations on full display when she appeals to her station in society as being of the house of Errol. She declares that she is royalty, not a serving woman, and sees her role in keeping the citadel as beneath her. This is blatant pride on full display. And yet it is one of the most common tactics the world uses to get women to believe that keeping their homes is beneath them. The constant refrain women hear from the world is that in order to be someone great, they need to leave the home and go out and make something of themselves. While keeping home and the people inside is always portrayed as something that should be seen as beneath them. So next we see she appeals to her desires as her next defense. She says, quote unquote, may I not spend my life as I will. In other words, why can't I have what I want? As a last as a last ditch effort, Eowina throws this in to try and manipulate Aragorn into sympathizing with her plight. Thankfully, it doesn't work on him. But the follow your heart gospel is one that is being preached to women everywhere from the rooftops. Women are constantly being told that the most important thing in life is not duty, but doing whatever makes you happy. To not follow your heart and do whatever makes you happy is seen as the biggest sin for a woman. However, the truth we see in scripture is that anytime we put our desires on the throne instead of Christ, disaster follows. So we also see in this conversation, Aragorn points out that few can spend their life as they will and maintain honor. In this wise and gentle response to Erewin's outcry, Aragorn expresses the simple truth. That true honor is not found in following your heart. Without scolding or belittling, Aragorn with this simple short response gently exposes that the true motivation of her heart is not honor, but personal glory and renown. It is in doing one's duty and laying down one's life in whatever capacity that true honor is found. Aragorn reminds her of her duty and her high calling. So one thing that's interesting is that while many frequently see Eowyn's story as a woman's fight against the oppressive patriarchy, both Feoden and Aragorn elevate Eowen by bestowing honor upon her and reminding her of her calling. They elevate her. In this conversation, Aragorn reminds Eowen that her role in keeping the citadel is vital. Because if she hadn't taken it, some marshal or captain would have to take it instead, which would in turn leave their army shorthanded. By manning her post and doing her duty, she frees the men, who frankly are much better suited for fighting, to go do theirs. And then finally, what we see is Aragorn reminds her that her deeds are no less valiant because they are unseen, but that every role is important in this world war. He reminds her that the men cannot ride away from their duties just because they are tired. In other words, he tells her to stop crying, feeling sorry for herself, to put on her big girl panties and man her post. Eowyn doesn't get a pass because she's of the house of Errol and has big dreams. Everyone is tired, everyone wants to give up, but everyone has a job to do and a part to play. She doesn't get to whine and run off because she's not happy. So what we see here so far in her story is not an oppressed woman, but an envious one. While it is true that Eowyn has suffered greatly and has great cause and ability, even, ability, to fight, it's not her role to play. So you see, ability doesn't equal that being your role. Despite the fact that both Aragorn and Theodon have held her in high esteem and assured her of the vitalness of her role, she envies the glory of Aragorn and the men at his side. This type of envy is the rampant poison that fuels feminism. What the world calls ambition, God reveals is often just the plain old green monster of envy. And not only does Eowyn seek the glory of another, but she wants the agency and the ability to determine her own fate. This action of a woman determining her own fate is the entire point of the whole feminist movement. Any kind of duty or submission is seen as oppression, and any attempt to subvert that duty is seen as stunning and brave. But as Ergon pointed out to her, men who run away from duty are not stunning and brave. They are just cowards. And so the question we should all be asking ourselves is: if men who run away from their duties are cowards, then why should we act like the women who do so are stunning and brave? So despite this exchange, Eowyn still went on to defy her king, rides the battle, disguises a man. It looks triumphant on the screen, but in the books, Tolkien shows that this is actually a tragedy because she fights not from faith, but from despair, believing she has nothing left to live for. And though she slays the Witch King, her victory leaves her broken, wounded, and unseen. So at this point, you might be wondering where her transformation comes in. How does a raging feminist find her way back? While the movies gloss over the next point of her story, the book gives us a full picture of her redemption and return to true feminine glory. After the battle, Eowen wakes up to find herself in the houses of healing. She is deeply bitter that her valiant deeds have gone unnoticed, and no one is praising her for killing the Witch King. She's confined to a bed with little information of the outside world, but she is now more caged than she ever was. Her attempts at lashing out toward freedom have given her the very thing she feared most. In her darkest hour, she meets a man named Faramir, who is also recovering in the houses of healing. Through his gentle wisdom and love, Eowyn begins to see that real strength is not found in the sword, but in healing, nurturing, and restoring life. After all her wrestling and resistance, she finally sees the emptiness in her pursuits. She declares, No longer do I desire to be a queen, and decides to be a shield maiden no longer, choosing instead to be a healer and lover of all things that grow and are not barren. Eowen lays down her sword as a sign of healing and realizing that she does, in fact, have so much to live for. She ends up finding her purpose, not in self-exalting glory, but at the side of a man whose mission brings hope and healing to those in darkness. The broken woman who once scorned the idea of making beds and tending to the dying and wounded willingly and joyfully embraces the role of life giver as she and Faramir spend the aftermath of the war healing the wounds that the war inflicted upon the land. And so we see that the true story of Eowen is not another grab at feminist triumph, but is actually a journey of redemption and eventually finding her true purpose as a woman. Okay, so why didn't I just go into great depth sharing this fantasy story with you? And if you're still with me, thank you for bearing through that. But the reason why is in Aown's story, we see that a woman of valor is a woman who mans her post. I'm gonna say that one more time. A woman of valor is a woman who mans her post. Initially, she rejected this responsibility, but in the end, she embraces her role and becomes the true woman of valor that she was made to be. I love the story because I think it speaks to so many of us who have come to this place of trying to be a biblical woman from different backgrounds. Maybe you have grown up in a way where you were taught to joyfully embrace your God-given femininity. And the job of keeping your citadel is something you celebrate and are skilled at. If that's you, then praise God. Keep up the good work and going further up and further into this calling. But maybe you didn't grow up this way. Maybe you come from a background where this kind of woman was scorned and looked down upon. Maybe, like Eowyn, you spent many years embracing feminist ideas of what a strong woman is. And the thought of manning your post in the biblical sense seems or has seemed more like entering a prison cell than embracing a high and holy calling. Or maybe you do want to live this out, but no one has ever taught you what it looks like, and so you feel stupid or like a poser. If any of these are you, please don't be discouraged. Just as Aowin in her repentance was able to finally become a true woman of valor, so can you. This calling is for all women, and whether you have been on this journey for a long time or you are just getting started, we can all grow in what it means to man our posts well and become true women of valor. So this brings me to my next point. I mentioned earlier that women aren't being given a vision of something better. Think about it. When most people hear the terms biblical womanhood or keeper of the home, most of the time the response is eye rolling and groaning. The only alternative that they see to feminism being offered is this version of women who for decades now have been portrayed as weak, boring, frumpy, or stupid. Everyone has been taught to view this kind of thing as weak. And who wants to be that? The reason women reject this kind of thing, the reason why your daughters don't want to have anything to do with it, is because the version they are seeing is super cheesy and lame. They don't want to be weak. They want to be strong, and they should be. The Bible commands us to be strong. So if we are going to reclaim this reputation of biblical womanhood, then we have to give a better picture. We have to tell a better story. We need to give real life examples of women who are not weak, who are not boring, who are not frumpy or stupid, but are glorious women of valor. So I just shared with you the story of Aowin. But something I want to do in this podcast and on all the podcasts to come is tell you stories of real life women of valor. I believe that it is vital that if we are going to be resisting feminism and reflecting a type of femininity that is both attractive and glorious, then we need to be actively immersing ourselves in these kinds of stories. These stories need to become part of our heartbeat and the legacy that we endeavor to continue. So before we conclude, I want to tell you some stories of women who manned their posts faithfully and courageously during times of war. These are not stories of women who led armies into battle or sat at the negotiating table with kings. Instead, these are stories of women who stayed faithful in their God-given calling, managing their homes, raising their children, and creating spaces of peace in the midst of chaos. Okay, so let's get started. We're gonna start in the Netherlands during World War II. In a little house above a tiny watch shop, an unmarried, middle-aged woman stood her ground. Her name? Corey Ten Boom. The Ten Booms were ordinary Christians, nothing fancy, nothing wealthy, but they were marked by one thing. Their home was always open. They practiced daily prayer, Bible reading, and hospitality. When the Nazis rolled into Holland, the Ten Booms did what they had always done. They opened their door. Only this time it was to Jews and resistance workers whose very lives were at stake. Corey and her sister Betsy managed the home as if it were a fortress of light in a world of darkness. They figured out ration cards, they stretched scraps of food to feed more mouths, they whispered prayers over anxious souls. Their home became a house of peace in the middle of terror. When they were eventually betrayed and arrested, Corey and Betsy carried that homemaking spirit with them into the concentration camp. In filthy barracks filled with fleas, they held Bible studies. They shared bread. They reminded broken women that Christ was keen even in Ravensbrook. Their home became wherever they set their hands to bring order and hope. Corey's story shows us that homemaking is not limited to four walls. It is the faithful creating of peace, order, and warmth wherever God places us. Now, let's jump back to 18th century Scotland in the days of the Jacobite uprisings. This was a time when the nation was split between loyalty to the Protestant Hanoverians and the Catholic Stuarts. Estates were being seized, battles raged, and everything felt uncertain. In the middle of this, Susanna Montgomery, the Countess of Ellington, quietly manned her post. She was the wife of an earl, yes, but she was also a homemaker, responsible for managing her vast estate, providing for tenants, feeding servants, and raising children in the faith. Susanna's household becomes a fortress of Protestant conviction, a stronghold of culture and learning in a time when Scotland wavered. Scholars and ministers gathered under her roof. While others were swept away by fear, Susanna rationed resources, kept the household running, and catechized her children in the Reformed faith. Her home became a gathering place for scholars and ministers, a beacon of Protestant culture and conviction during a time when many were tempted to waver and fear threatened to undo them. Susanna's faithfulness at home helped preserve the Protestant cause in Scotland. She didn't fight battles with sword and musket, but her steadfastness made her estate into a stronghold of truth, order, and courage. And manning her post, she helped fortify a nation. Across the ocean, during the American Revolution, we meet another remarkable woman, Martha Washington. When we think of George Washington, we picture him leading the Continental Army, frost in his hair, enduring Valley Forge, but what we don't see is Martha arriving each winter at camp to be by his side. Picture this. Disease runs rampant. The snows of Pennsylvania are red with blood from frozen feet. Desertions multiply. Morale is collapsing. And at the center of it all stands General George Washington, weary, burdened, on the brink. And then she arrives. Martha Washington. Each winter she left Mount Vernon and entered the freezing camps. She organized officers' wives, sewed uniforms, knitted socks, prepared meals, and nursed the sick. She sat by soldiers' bedsides and prayed with them. And most of all, she kept the general himself grounded. George Washington admitted that her presence brought him strength and encouragement in the darkest moments of the war. She brought with her the ordering presence of home. And in doing so, she studied not only her husband, but the men who followed him. Martha Washington never led troops into battle, but her quiet constancy at the hearth steadied the sword in her husband's hand. Without her, Valley Forge may have broken him. And without with him, the revolution itself. A century later, during the Civil War, we meet Mary Anna Jackson, wife of Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. While her husband was off leading men in battle, Mary Anna stayed at home with her little daughter. She faced shortages, loneliness, and the ever-present fear of loss. But she manned her post faithfully. She managed their home with care, kept family devotions, and raised their daughter in the word. She wrote letters to her husband filled with scripture and encouragement, reminding him that God was sovereign even in the bloodiest battles. Stonewall Jackson's discipline and calm under fire are legendary, but they were not without foundation. The faith and constancy of Mary Anna at home were part of what made him unshakable on the battlefield. Do you see the thread between the stories of these four women? Four women, four wars, four posts faithfully manned. They didn't lead armies, they didn't sign treaties, their hands baked bread, mended clothes, wiped tears, wrote letters, studied homes. Their work looked ordinary, but it was indispensable. Without Susanna Montgomery's strength, parts of Protestant Scotland may have faltered. Without Martha Washington's constancy, Valley Forge might have crushed the revolution. Without Mariana Jackson's prayer, Stonewall's courage may have cracked. And without Corey Tenboom's refuge, many would have perished without hope. These women built fortresses at their hearths, and history bent around their faithfulness. These women remind us that homemaking is not a small thing. It is not peripheral. It is not second class. When women courageously man their posts, entire movements are strengthened, leaders endure, soldiers fight on, children are preserved, nations are shaped. The battle may rage outside, but the home is often the true front line, the place where courage is cultivated, where faith is transmitted, and where weary souls are renewed. So when you are tempted to think that your work in the home is unseen or insignificant, remember Corey, Susanna, Martha, and Marianna. Remember these real life women of valor. Their posts were indispensable, and so is yours. Okay, so you may be listening to these stories though and thinking, but I'm not Corey Tenboom hiding Jews in my home. I'm not Martha Washington in a military camp. I am just an ordinary woman. So were they. Their posts look different, but they were faithful in ordinary ways that mattered. So what does it look like for you to practically live this out? How can you be a woman of valor who mans her post today? I want to cover a few practical steps that you can get started on today. So, number one, be a woman of the word. In order to combat the lies of the enemy, you have to be fortified with a strong knowledge of the truth. The word of God is your sword, it is your shield. So keep the word central in your household. Read it, sing it, display it, learn how to defend it. This is the ultimate and most important place to start. In addition to that, pray daily over your husband, your children, and your home. These things might seem trivial, but they are essential. And you will not be able to be an effective woman of God if you are not making these things your number one priority. Guard yourself and your children from influences that weaken faith and courage. Seek to have discernment when it comes to false teaching. Paul says that false teachers find their way into the homes of weak willed women who are ruled by their passions. This happens every day in the form of social media. So be on guard and be discerning about what is truly biblical. Okay, number two, create order and peace. The small things. This is the simple but highly noble womanly task of making the concepts of truth, goodness, and beauty and fleshed for your family to experience in tangible ways. Meals on the table, a tidy space, a warm welcome. These are not just chores, they are acts of resistance against chaos and despair and darkness. Think of your homemaking as building a fortress. Every act of order strengthens the walls. Number three, disciple the next generation. Education is warfare. Whether you are homeschooling your kids or just doing discipleship in your home or doing Titus II discipleship with a young woman, you are helping to train up and equip the next generation to be future Christ followers and world changers. This is one of the most significant things you will ever do. So whether it is with your children or the young woman in your life, use everyday life moments and teach them to love and know Christ. Show them by example what it looks like to joyfully live out your calling and let them see you having fun doing it. Nothing is more intriguing and contagious than watching people having fun doing something. When when people see you delighting in your calling, they're going to want to be part of that. That is the best way that you can disciple people. Remind them of their place in God's story, that they too have post-to man and help them see that role is bigger than just their own life. It will have an impact on others for generations. And then number four, strengthen your husband's hands. If you are married, build your mission around your husbands. Your job is to make him successful and look good. Your job is to magnify his impact. Don't underestimate or resent your role here. We will talk more about this in depth in the next episode. But for now I'll just say encourage him, pray with him, and speak words of life to him. Just as Marianna Jackson's letters bolstered her husband, your encouragement may be the anger that steadies him. And then number five, practice militant hospitality. People are looking for a place to belong, looking for answers, looking for a light in the darkness. Be that light in the darkness. Seek them out. Invite them into your home and show them what the love of Christ means by feeding their hearts and their bellies. And open your doors, even if it's imperfect. A meal, a listening ear, a safe place. Your home can become a citadel of peace for weary souls. So these are just a few simple steps to get you started. But hopefully, this lets you see that we are not talking about some high and lofty thing here. These are practical things that every ordinary woman can start doing today. Manning your post doesn't mean doing everything perfectly, it means standing where God has placed you day after day with faithfulness and courage. All right, dear sisters. That's just about all we have time for today. To conclude this podcast, I want to issue you a charge to go further up and further into the calling the Lord has given you. Before I do that, though, I want to thank you for joining me on the Keeping the Citadel podcast. I pray that you are encouraged to see the beauty and strength and faithfully manning your post and inspire to become a true woman of valor. If this episode blessed you, I'd love for you to share it with a friend who needs the same encouragement. And don't forget to subscribe so that you don't miss the journey ahead. With that said, here is my charge to you. The world is screaming at you to scorn your duty. It desperately wants to brainwash you into believing that the only life worth living is one outside the home. But there are people in your home who need you, people to lay down your life for. Is there a more worthy cause than that? Your home is not a cage, but a beacon of light and life for all who enter. In the home, you have the opportunity to shape culture, build a legacy, and make an impact that will last for generations to come. Your work matters. Don't underestimate it. And don't abandon your post. Don't believe the lie that there is something better or more worthy for you to be investing your life in. This is the high and holy calling that God made you for. If you aren't there to fulfill the task, who will? Be the woman your husband can safely trust in to represent his mission. Be the mother who girds her children with strength before sending them out like arrows into the fray. And be the homemaker who sees her mission as the valiant and worthy cause it is. You never know the impact that your joyful obedience will have. This world needs women of valor. So be that woman of valor. It won't look flashy, sexy, or gave you much applause, but it is no less glorious. Because when women man their posts, movements endure. Leaders stand firm. Nations are strengthened. Generations are shaped. History itself turns on the faithfulness of women who build fortresses at home. And when you are faithful to man your post, Christ's kingdom advances through your home as surely as armies through the field. So, sisters, take up your post. Strengthen your hands and build. Not just for this day, but for generations to come. Until next time, embrace your high calling, live a better story, and keep the flame of your citadel burning brightly.